Hands-on: Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate

Microsoft has released the release candidate of Internet Explorer 9. We take a …

After tens of millions of downloads of last year's beta, Microsoft has shipped the release candidate of Internet Explorer 9. The latest iteration of Microsoft's new browser boasts a few new features, a refined user interface, better performance, and improved standards compliance.

Perhaps as a testament to the success of its platform preview program and beta release, the changes are, for the most part, quite subtle. The platform previews have allowed Web developers to track the progress of the browser's core rendering engine, and to submit bugs and feedback to the company; thus, when the beta was released, there were few surprises in the browser's treatment of webpages.

The new user interface was the big surprise of the beta: taking a leaf from Chrome's book, Internet Explorer 9's user interface is a pared down, minimal affair, designed to be much less intrusive and to put the focus squarely on websites rather than the browser itself.

User interface

Microsoft has categorized the work it did on the release candidate into four main areas: trust and privacy, interoperability, performance, and the user experience. For all the considerable under-the-hood work done in Internet Explorer 9, it is the user interface that most users will find strikingly different.

I talked about the new interface extensively when I reviewed the beta: what we see today is very much a refined version of what was released in September. The overall aesthetic remains minimal. The tab edges have been squared off, borders have been stripped out, the unified search/address box makes it easier to refine searches, and some low-priority notification messages will now dismiss themselves automatically after a while.

One thing stuck out particularly in the beta: the positioning of the tab bar alongside the address bar, reducing the space available for tabs. Microsoft argued that most users only use a few tabs, so there was more than enough room to place the two things side-by-side. Users of the beta, however, felt otherwise, and many reacted noisily.

As a result of those comments, the release candidate now includes an option to place the tabs below the address bar on a row by themselves. For heavy tab users, this will be a welcome, and very necessary, change.

Another clear response to user feedback is the alterations made to the new download manager. Though the mere inclusion of a download manager is an enormous improvement on previous versions of Internet Explorer, the original implementation in the beta was criticized for not showing download speeds except when hovering the mouse over each download in turn; that's now changed, and the speeds are shown.

Pinned sites have also been altered; it's now possible for a pinned site to include multiple tabs, so that a group of related sites—all your social media networks, for example—can be pinned and opened together.

The changes are small, but nonetheless welcome. The browser looks good and is much less intrusive than Internet Explorer 8; the new notification system in particular is a substantial improvement. The only omission that truly annoys me is that it's still not possible to make the browser automatically resume your session (reopening all the tabs you had when you quit it). The new tab page does have the ability to reopen the tabs, but it's behavior I want to be automatic.

Performance

Exploiting the full power and capabilities of modern hardware has been a key feature of Internet Explorer 9's development. When Microsoft first started to talk about the browser in late 2009, the idea of using hardware acceleration to accelerate browser graphics was unusual; it isn't any longer. The developers of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari are all now working to integrate GPU acceleration into their browsers.

Since the beta, Microsoft says it has made some 2,000 performance improvements to Internet Explorer 9. JavaScript performance is much improved over Internet Explorer 8, but that's far from the only area of improvement. Parsing HTML, rendering graphics, dynamically changing page layout and text flow, these are all faster than they used to be.

In use, IE9 feels extremely snappy, quick in a way that Internet Explorer has never felt before. Navigating webpages, switching between tabs, or creating new tabs—all are lightning quick. Much effort has been made to improve performance, and it works.

Interoperability

Throughout the course of the preview releases, Microsoft has added support for new HTML5 features. The company has taken a conservative route in doing so, seeking to support only those features that appear reasonably stable and well-defined—those that are, in Microsoft's terminology, "site ready." These are features that are unlikely to cause developers maintenance headaches when a specification change renders their code obsolete. For features that aren't yet "site-ready," Microsoft is using a system of prototype implementations.

Over the past year, we've seen SVG and canvas graphics, WOFF Web fonts, a whole bunch of CSS features, HTML5 <video> and more added to the browser. The release candidate adds a handful of new features: the big one is support for the HTML5 geolocation API. This API allows webpages to request your location. If you elect to answer their request, the browser uses a combination of IP address and WiFi information to determine your approximate location.

Perhaps surprisingly, Microsoft says that it won't use GPS data, even if available. A little disappointingly, it appears that Internet Explorer 9 also doesn't use the new Windows 7 geolocation API. I suspect that this is because the browser is also designed for Windows Vista, which doesn't include the API. What I would have preferred would be for the IP/WiFi-based geolocation to be provided system-wide, using the Windows 7 API, and for the browser to interrogate that API. This would allow it to use any GPS providers that the user may have installed, and it would also allow third-party applications to retrieve approximate location information. I currently use Geosense to provide an equivalent system-wide capability, but it's unfortunately quite unstable.

Trust and privacy

On the trust and privacy front, the release candidate includes the anti-tracking features first described in December. The interface for this is surprisingly low-key; the option is tucked away on a menu, and starting the browser for the first time neither informs you of the capability nor suggests that you add any lists yourself.

Tracking protection lists can serve both as whitelists (enumerating sites that should be allowed to track) and blacklists (enumerating sites that shouldn't). Microsoft isn't publishing any lists itself, but will be providing links to various third-party lists from privacy and security organizations.

The tracking protection feature also has a fallback mode that operates equivalently to InPrivate Filtering feature from Internet Explorer 8: in this fallback mode, the browser records which third-party content is regularly included into pages, and blocks anything that appears to be widely used. So, for example, if three different sites all incorporate Google Analytics' Javascript, this will get flagged and blocked. The downside is that this mode can also block legitimate content, which is why the individually curated and human-compiled protection lists are a safer option.

In a similar vein, the browser enables all ActiveX content to be blocked, a feature named ActiveX Filtering. This allows browser plugins to be blocked globally, or on a site-by-site basis. Though not as elegant as, say, ClickToFlash—enabling ActiveX on a site requires a full page refresh rather than a mere click—this has the scope to be an effective, if somewhat rudimentary, Flash blocker.

This is a solid release, and Internet Explorer 9 is a quality browser. Particularly during the dark days of the mid-2000s, Internet Explorer was once something of an embarrassment, widely looked down on by the technically inclined. Internet Explorer 8 was solid enough, but still quite some way behind the competition. With Internet Explorer 9, however, Microsoft has a browser that is truly first-rate. Its final release, almost certain to be in April to coincide with the MIX11 event, can't come soon enough.

The big question, though, concerns the future. Microsoft has built up great momentum with the preview releases. The company is giving developers the access they need and has made tremendous progress, in terms of both performance and standards compliance, over the past year. It can't let that falter once the final version ships. Internet Explorer 9 will likely be released about two years after version 8 shipped. If we have to wait another two years to get Internet Explorer 10, then all the progress and goodwill that has been built up during 9's development process will be squandered.

Company representatives tell me that they certainly don't intend to let the momentum die down. They seem to be pleased with the response to the preview releases, and the release cadence, with a new build coming every 7-8 weeks or so, appears to have worked well for them. But what they won't tell me is exactly what will happen once the browser ships: how will that momentum be kept up, and how will the company keep the browser current.

The prototype implementations of unstable specifications, for example, will eventually reach Redmond's "site ready" threshold, and they will probably do so within six months. And the company isn't yet willing to disclose what will happen at that time. Will we see Internet Explorer 9.1, integrating these new site-ready features, mere months after the release of 9.0? Or will we have to wait years?

I really hope they implement something to bug (or tactfully force) users to upgrade to the latest version whenever one is available. I don't expect it to auto-update like Chrome does (which would be nice) but something like what Firefox does would be a welcome addition. As it stands, most people have no idea when a new version of IE comes out.

I know I know, compatibility with old business software, blah blah. But the world can't stand still because some companies are too cheap or lazy to stay current.

IE9 will continue to be the worst browser on the planet. Yes, it's better than IE8, but that's not saying anything. With all the stuff they've added, they will still be at least two years behind all the other browsers if it does get released in April.

Why use a browser that's always playing catch up? Just use anything else.

I really hope they implement something to bug (or tactfully force) users to upgrade to the latest version whenever one is available. I don't expect it to auto-update like Chrome does (which would be nice) but something like what Firefox does would be a welcome addition. As it stands, most people have no idea when a new version of IE comes out.

I'll never get this: You're suggesting a company should bug (or even force!) their own customers to perform expensive upgrades for some sort of greater good? What greater good is that?

Web developers may rejoice that they have to no longer developer to the lowest common denominator, but they're forgetting why they have a job: The web is supposed to be somewhat timeless and universal. That's why it's so successful. Not because of the latest Javascript API...

IE9 will continue to be the worst browser on the planet. Yes, it's better than IE8, but that's not saying anything. With all the stuff they've added, they will still be at least two years behind all the other browsers if it does get released in April.

Why use a browser that's always playing catch up? Just use anything else.

Article says this is the first browser to include GPU acceleration.....

Looks like I'll have to kick the habit of bashing IE. I've always seen IE as the epitome of Microsoft's bad characteristics -- slow moving, badly designed, annoying behaviour, standards deviant, etc. Can I take this as a sign that Microsoft is on a track to improvement or is this just a hiccup?

since my Win 7 system is in pieces, I won't be able to try this out for some time. does it dispense with the "wordiness" of previous IE versions? Things like loading a page of text that tells me I opened a new tab. Well no shit I opened a new tab, I'm the one who did it! Or all of that setup crap on the first run like accelerators, "Web slices," or other such BS. Firefox, Safari, and Chrome don't do anything but load the home page the first time you run them, why does IE pile that much crap on?

I am glad that Microsoft is trying their best to implement new technologies for over a billion computers in the world. But, I am a "on-call-geek" for a few families in my area and some how this new IE9 beta has messed up their network printing. What is wrong? I really don't know. I uninstalled the IE9 beta and that cleared up all of their problems. The biggest problem that Microsoft faces is the sheer mass of computers that its system runs on not to mention the amount of hardware that they must be ready to support. Oh well. I like helping people and making a living at the same time.

I really hope they implement something to bug (or tactfully force) users to upgrade to the latest version whenever one is available. I don't expect it to auto-update like Chrome does (which would be nice) but something like what Firefox does would be a welcome addition. As it stands, most people have no idea when a new version of IE comes out.

I'll never get this: You're suggesting a company should bug (or even force!) their own customers to perform expensive upgrades for some sort of greater good? What greater good is that?

It's looking very good and I do hope they do point releases (9.1, 9.2 etc) from now on to keep it up to date. But it's not enough to move me away from Firefox yet. Although 4.0 does look set to become quite the disappointment.

Quote:

This looks very complicated. Isn't IE supposed to be the brower for the dumb masses who don't know any better? Good luck them understanding all this content filtering and tracking options..

Those options are off by default and you need to enable them, so the end-user won't be confused by the extra options.

Quote:

But, I am a "on-call-geek" for a few families in my area and some how this new IE9 beta has messed up their network printing. What is wrong? I really don't know.

I really hope they implement something to bug (or tactfully force) users to upgrade to the latest version whenever one is available. I don't expect it to auto-update like Chrome does (which would be nice) but something like what Firefox does would be a welcome addition. As it stands, most people have no idea when a new version of IE comes out.

I'll never get this: You're suggesting a company should bug (or even force!) their own customers to perform expensive upgrades for some sort of greater good? What greater good is that?

It's like you didn't even read what the poster wrote.

And since when is a browser an "expensive upgrade"?

Any reasonable IT organization tests anything/everything. Testing is expensive. This is why auto-update browsers have no foothold in enterprise.

IE9 will continue to be the worst browser on the planet. Yes, it's better than IE8, but that's not saying anything. With all the stuff they've added, they will still be at least two years behind all the other browsers if it does get released in April.

Why use a browser that's always playing catch up? Just use anything else.

Article says this is the first browser to include GPU acceleration.....

It will only be the first browser to include GPU acceleration if the final version is released before Firefox 4.0.

Incidentally, Firefox 4.0 will include GPU acceleration and a whole host of modern browser features even for Windows XP users.

IE9 will continue to be the worst browser on the planet. Yes, it's better than IE8, but that's not saying anything. With all the stuff they've added, they will still be at least two years behind all the other browsers if it does get released in April.

Why use a browser that's always playing catch up? Just use anything else.

Article says this is the first browser to include GPU acceleration.....

It will only be the first browser to include GPU acceleration if the final version is released before Firefox 4.0.

Incidentally, Firefox 4.0 will include GPU acceleration even for Windows XP users.

"Expensive upgrade" mostly concerns IE6 and how entrenched it is in businesses. For whatever reason, many business settled intranet sites on IE6 when it first came out. Because IE6 broke all the standards in its renderer, most companies opted to only support IE6 instead of making the sites work in Firefox and IE. A lot of recoding of these massive sites needs to be done to make them standards compliant, and then you have to test to make sure simply installing IE7 or 8 won't break any applications that may rely on the IE ActiveX control, which may be out of service and the original programmers retired or the company out of business, so they cannot ever be updated. So, you need to rewrite some of these applications and websites entirely. That is what's expensive.

That download manager looks horrible. So much space wasted and the filenames are cut off. Reminds me of Skype 5.

Um, those three controls at the top right of the window? One looks like a horizontal line, then a square, then an X? Click the one in the middle and the window will magically get bigger to show all the filenames.

That's a special feature for those who start a download and then forget what it is.

IE9 will continue to be the worst browser on the planet. Yes, it's better than IE8, but that's not saying anything. With all the stuff they've added, they will still be at least two years behind all the other browsers if it does get released in April.

Why use a browser that's always playing catch up? Just use anything else.

Article says this is the first browser to include GPU acceleration.....

It will only be the first browser to include GPU acceleration if the final version is released before Firefox 4.0.

Incidentally, Firefox 4.0 will include GPU acceleration even for Windows XP users.

The acceleration it provides to XP users will be very limited. Granted, that's more than "none", but not by much.

IE9 has many interesting and innovative offerings. Granted, a lot of these only matter to corporate types, but then IE has nearly always been a browser that has had to bow to corporate need while at the same time trying to be user-friendly.

I very-much welcome IE9, and I know that I will use it at work a lot. Chrome/FF is still my personal browsing choice, but variety is nice.

I really hope they implement something to bug (or tactfully force) users to upgrade to the latest version whenever one is available. I don't expect it to auto-update like Chrome does (which would be nice) but something like what Firefox does would be a welcome addition. As it stands, most people have no idea when a new version of IE comes out.

I'll never get this: You're suggesting a company should bug (or even force!) their own customers to perform expensive upgrades for some sort of greater good? What greater good is that?

It's like you didn't even read what the poster wrote.

And since when is a browser an "expensive upgrade"?

No, he's right. Browser upgrades can be extremely expensive for a company to implement, not because the browser itself is expensive, but because they have to upgrade their internal systems to work with another browser. We here at my work have customers whose companies *refuse* to upgrade past IE6, Service Pack 2 because of the new security measures in Service Pack 3. It breaks all their old, outdated internal apps.

Then there's the IT time to implement it across corporate networks, retraining of employees (don't think the admin needs to be retrained when she moves up from IE6? ha!), company-wide notifications, etc.

I haven't messed with IE9 much yet. Are there any plans for extensions? I'd give IE a try if it had adblock. As it is now, my wife and I share a login. She uses FF, I use Chrome. Both have Adblock installed. Personally, I just love Chrome, but if IE9 gives me good reason, I'll use it.

IE9 will continue to be the worst browser on the planet. Yes, it's better than IE8, but that's not saying anything. With all the stuff they've added, they will still be at least two years behind all the other browsers if it does get released in April.

Why use a browser that's always playing catch up? Just use anything else.

Because it is better and the main reason the others are used is that it is anti-MS dislike.

IE9 will continue to be the worst browser on the planet. Yes, it's better than IE8, but that's not saying anything. With all the stuff they've added, they will still be at least two years behind all the other browsers if it does get released in April.

Why use a browser that's always playing catch up? Just use anything else.

Because it is better and the main reason the others are used is that it is anti-MS dislike.

Well it looks like they have set up IE's standard chrome the way I have mine working with IE8 except for the joint area for URL's and searches. That will wind up giving me a little more area for tabs. But it is hardly an improvement that I have any trouble waiting for. The performance gains may have some value. But I suspect performance problems with web pages are more often the result of the provider of the web page than the browser. The general level of programming on the web is pretty low grade and most providers are trying to squeeze in as much scripted advertising as they can to try to get users to focus on the advertising rather than their content. I certainly can wait as long as it takes Microsoft to deliver IE 10. My problem with Microsoft has been the junk their agile programming has generated. The result has been new releases that were significantly worse than the old ones. The last releases of live services mail and Virtual Earth are two prime example of very poor quality that is way below typical Microsoft standards in the past.